Summer kicks off in San Francisco and there is plenty to do. Jazz, Street Festivals, and Pride – You gotta love San Francisco in June!
JUNE 1-4
SAN FRANCISCO SILENT FILM FESTIVAL (22nd YEAR)
Silent films accompanied by live music. This festival promotes the silent film as art and historical record.
Castro Theatre. 415-777-4908. www.silentfilm.org
JUNE 1-16
SAN FRANCISCO DOCUMENTARY FILM FESTIVAL (SF DOCFEST) (16TH YEAR)
An annual festival devoted to documentary cinema. Since 2001, this two week-long event has brought weird and wonderful aspects of real life to the big screen. Produced by the SF IndieFest. Roxie, Brava, and Vogue Theaters. 415-662-FEST(3378). www.sfindie.com
JUNE 3-4
UNION STREET FESTIVAL
Now in its 41st year, this is one of San Francisco’s largest free art festivals, offering an organic farmers market, arts and crafts created with recycled and sustainable materials, eco-friendly exhibits, gourmet food booths, and live entertainment. It features clothing, jewelry, and fashions from Union Street area merchants, as well as craft beer and wine tasting pavilions.
Union Street between Gough and Steiner. 800-310-6563. www.unionstreetfestival.com
JUNE 3-JULY 16 (Weekends)
ETHNIC DANCE FESTIVAL
This festival returns to the Palace of Fine Arts and San Francisco City Hall for three weekends of awe-inspiring dance and music performances from more than 20 world cultures. Each weekend’s program is unique and features different Bay Area dance companies, along with innovative cross-cultural collaborations.
War Memorial Opera House. 10 am-6 pm. 415-474-3914. www.worldartswest.org
JUNE 4 (FIRST SUNDAY)
FREE ADMISSION DAY, ASIAN ART MUSEUM
JUNE 6 (FIRST TUESDAY)
FREE ADMISSION DAY, VARIOUS MUSEUMS
Conservatory of Flowers, Contemporary Jewish Museum, DeYoung Museum, Legion of Honor Museum, Museum of Craft and Design, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts (please confirm with the museum calendar, as free days may vary).
JUNE 6-18
SAN FRANCISCO JAZZ FESTIVAL
For more than 30 years, SFJAZZ has presented the San Francisco Jazz Festival in venues around the Bay Area. With the opening of the SFJAZZ Center in 2013, the festival is now concentrated in the Center and surrounding neighborhood, and it offers more than 30 shows.
SFJAZZ Center, 201 Franklin Street. 866-920-5299. www.sfjazz.org
JUNE 7 (FIRST WEDNESDAY)
SF ZOO FREE ADMISSION DAY FOR SAN FRANCISCO RESIDENTS
A free day for all San Francisco residents. Proof of San Francisco residency is required and can be established by providing: a valid driver’s license, a valid identification card, or a utility, phone, or another local bill with your name and address, along with a current valid photo I.D. First free admission at 10:00 am. Last free admission at 3:00 pm.
1 Zoo Road, SF www.sfzoo.org/visit/tickets-hours.htm
JUNE 11
HAIGHT ASHBURY STREET FAIR
Music, arts, crafts, and food are the mainstay of this event celebrating the cultural history and diversity of one of San Francisco’s most internationally celebrated neighborhoods–the Haight-Ashbury.
Haight Street between Masonic and Stanyan Streets. 415-664-2970. www.haightashburystreetfair.org
June 13
FREE ADMISSION DAY, SAN FRANCISCO BOTANICAL GARDEN
The San Francisco Botanical Garden is one of the most diverse gardens in the world. A unique urban oasis, the garden is a living museum within Golden Gate Park, featuring 55 acres of both landscaped gardens and open spaces, and showcasing over 8,000 different kinds of plants from around the world.
Golden Gate Park @ 1199 9th Avenue. Open 9 am to 6 pm (spring and summer).
Free docent tours every Saturday, April 1 to August 26, at 2 pm. Free with proof of SF residency (free to all on the second Tuesday of the month: June 13 this month) www.sfbotanicalgardensociety.org
JUNE 14-22
AIGA SAN FRANCISCO DESIGN WEEK
More than 60 studio tours and 75 events throughout the week featuring tech inventions, culture-changing products, human-centered design, emerging fashion, and international architecture. San Francisco Design Week is an opportunity to experience the region’s unique design talents, impact, and innovations.
SF Design Week Opening Night, 10th Anniversary Bash is Wed., June 14, 6:30 pm – 9:30 pm,
Pier 27, The Embarcadero. 415-626-6008.
JUNE 15-18
SAN FRANCISCO BLACK FILM FESTIVAL
This celebration of African American cinema and the African cultural Diaspora showcases a diverse collection of films from emerging and established filmmakers. More than 10,000 films have been screened from around the world since the first festival in 1998.
African American Art and Culture Center and other Bay Area Venues www.sfbff.org
JUNE 15-25
FRAMELINE 41: SAN FRANCISCO INTERNATIONAL LGBT FILM FESTIVAL
This pioneering showcase of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender cinema screens groundbreaking documentaries, features, touching short films and cinematic classics.
Castro Theatre. 415-703-8650. www.frameline.org
JUNE 17
JUNETEENTH CELEBRATION
The oldest known celebration among African Americans across the U.S. commemorates the announcement of the end of slavery in the country. A local event includes musical performances, a car show, arts and crafts, children’s activities, and a variety of food vendors.
Fillmore District between Geary and Eddy Streets
JUNE 17-18
NORTH BEACH FESTIVAL
San Francisco’s oldest street fair is known for its juried arts and crafts, live entertainment, Italian street painting, kids’ chalk art area, animal blessings, gourmet food booths, beverage gardens, and other surprises. Presented by the North Beach Business Association.
Near Washington Square Park
JUNE 24-25-26
SAN FRANCISCO LESBIAN/GAY/BISEXUAL/TRANSGENDER PRIDE PARADE
San Francisco’s 46th annual celebration of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender pride culminates with a huge parade from the Embarcadero to the Civic Center on June 26.
Embarcadero to Civic Center, Market Street. 415-864-FREE www.sfpride.org
JUNE 25-AUGUST 27
STERN GROVE FESTIVAL
The Stern Grove Festival celebrates the season with free Sunday concerts featuring renowned music and dance groups set in a beautiful outdoor amphitheater.
Stern Grove, 19th Avenue and Sloat Boulevard. 415-252-6252. www.sterngrove.org